Because of You
by jani11
Summary: Life can take its toll on even the purest, happiest people.


It was a peaceful night in the Moors, and the daytime creatures were deep in slumber. All, that is, except for one. From high up in the star-studded sky, the moon cast her pale white glow upon the slender figure of a young girl perched five feet off the ground on a giant oak tree. Aurora had on a thin shawl over a simple white nightgown, the latter of which gave her an almost ghost-like appearance as she sat staring off across the darkened landscape, deep in thought. Aurora knew that being out alone this late at night wasn't the smartest idea, even if this was the Moors. But tonight, sleep had evaded her, and she simply had to come out to gather her thoughts. She always felt more relaxed when surrounded by the tranquility of nature. As she looked up at the bright moon overhead, Aurora reflected on the past few weeks, a soft sigh escaping her lips. The war was finally over, and peace and prosperity had returned to both kingdoms. Everything ought to feel perfect now, but it just didn't. As a chilly night wind rustled the leaves overhead, Aurora wrapped her shawl tighter around her body and huddled up against the trunk of the tree to stay warm. Then, as if carried to her by the wind, she heard the tune of a familiar song playing through her head. Realizing that the lyrics mirrored her feelings, Aurora began to softly sing the song out loud.

_I will not make  
The same mistakes that you did  
I will not let myself  
Cause my heart so much misery  
I will not break  
The way you did, you fell so hard  
I've learned the hard way  
To never let it get that far_

Aurora knew what hatred and greed could do. She knew how it could twist and consume even the kindest of people, destroying the cherished light and leaving nothing but abysmall darkness. Aurora had sworn that she'd never let the same thing happen to her. No matter what, she would never repeat the mistakes that her father had made.

_Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid_

Aurora thought about her aunts, and how all her life they had told her that her parents were dead. She remembered listening with silent shock when they finally told her the true story, feeling her whole world implode in on her. The worst part had been finding out that the woman she called her fairy godmother, her one friend in the world, had been the one that cursed her. Aurora didn't think she would've felt any different had someone taken a dagger and driven it through her heart. Was that how Maleficent herself had felt? It was no wonder that even now, she still had trouble opening up and trusting people. And it was because of _her _that Aurora now had a taste of what that felt like. As much as Aurora cared for Maleficent, she didn't think that she could trust the fairy in the same way again, and that pained her.

_I lose my way  
And it's not too long before you point it out  
I cannot cry because I know that's weakness in your eyes_

Aurora thought about the one time she had cried in front of Maleficent. For some reason, the memory made Aurora cringe and instinctively shrink against the large tree, as though trying to shield herself. Was she embarrassed? Ashamed? If that was the case, Aurora didn't understand why. She had never felt embarrassed before about freely expressing her emotions. It just came as naturally to her as breathing. Of course, that too had changed. She now found herself trying to hide her feelings from the people around her more often that she would like to admit. Maybe she wasn't so different from Maleficent after all.

_I'm forced to fake  
A smile, a laugh every day of my life  
My heart can't possibly break  
When it wasn't even whole to start with_

Aurora never let on how she felt to anyone, especially Maleficent. The fairy had suffered for far longer and far worse than Aurora ever had, and the girl had no intention of causing any more damage. There had been enough of that to last an eternity. Now that everything was resolved and peace had returned to the Moors, Aurora didn't want to burden anyone with her conflicting emotions. So she forced herself to lock away the negative, only showing the positive. Whenever she became too quiet and was asked if she was alright, she would simply paste a smile on her face and reassure the questioner that she was fine.

_Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt  
Because of you  
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me  
Because of you  
I am afraid_

_What if I turn out like my father? _It was a question that always lurked in the corners of Aurora's mind, though she tried to banish it. As much as she would like to believe that she was in no way similar to the greedy king, she was his daughter after all. She had his blood running through her veins. Could Aurora really trust herself not to become like him? After all, who knew how much of Stephan she really had inside of her?

_I watched you die  
I heard you cry every night in your sleep  
I was so young  
You should have known  
Better than to lean on me_

Aurora recalled a previous conversation that she recently had with Diaval when the two of them had gone blackberry-picking together. She remembered him telling her, a sad gleam in his eyes, about how Maleficent used to cry herself to sleep at times, thinking that no one was listening. Of course, Diaval _had _been listening, but felt powerless to do anything about it. He hadn't the slightest idea of how to comfort someone so broken both inside and out. Aurora had fallen silent upon hearing the sad tale, feeling her heart go out to the fairy. She couldn't begin to fathom one person feeling that much hurt and bitterness. Aurora also knew, regretfully, that Stefan hadn't been the only one responsible for causing Maleficent pain. The girl remembered the look of hurt on the fairy's face when she'd backed away from her and called her evil. Aurora hadn't even given Maleficent a chance to explain herself before rushing into judgment. Aurora was sorry for it, but she could not silence the rebellious voice in her head that told her it was justified. After all, hadn't Maleficent been the one that cursed her to begin with? Then again, none of it would ever have happened if it wasn't for Stephan.

_You never thought of anyone else  
You just saw your pain  
And now I cry in the middle of the night  
For the same damn thing!_

People could point their fingers at Stephan and call him the selfish one. After all, he had done the unthinkable to the one person in the world that he should have cared about, and all for power. But hadn't Maleficent been nearly equally selfish? Rather than confronting the man who was directly responsible for her suffering, she had doomed an innocent child to a horrible fate. When it came to Stephan and Maleficent, there was one striking similarity. Both had only been thinking about themselves and their own gain. As long as they had what they wanted, why should it matter if one person's life got ruined in the process? Even when his wife passed away, Stephan showed no grief. He hadn't even been at her side when she died. The castle servants didn't think that Aurora heard them talking about it, but she did. Oh, she did.

_Because of you  
I never stray too far from the sidewalk  
Because of you  
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt_

Aurora sometimes found herself wondering how her life would be had the curse never happened. What would her parents be like? Would they have loved her as much as she would have loved them? Aurora remembered all too clearly the brief, joyless reunion with her father on her sixteenth birthday. Thinking back, Aurora realized that she had been foolish to expect that Stephan would be thrilled to see her. After all, he didn't know anything about his daughter past her name. But Aurora certainly hadn't expected their first meeting to be so devoid of mirth. An entire life had been lost to her the moment the curse was set. Now, there was a fear in the young girl that hadn't been there before.

_Because of you  
I try my hardest just to forget everything  
Because of you  
I don't know how to let anyone else in_

She tried desperately to just block it all out, to go on as though nothing had ever happened. But no matter what, she could still see the menacing orange flames from the battle, could still smell the thick stench of smoke that had choked the air, could still hear the deafening noise of war echoing through her head. Aurora knew that the world still held plenty of beauty, and she admired it every day. But she didn't think that she could ever look at things quite the same anymore.

_Because of you  
I'm ashamed of my life  
Because it's empty  
Because of you  
I am afraid_

Part of Aurora's mind chided her for being ungrateful. Hadn't she led a content, carefree life for sixteen years, even without her parents present? She in no way regretted that, but now that she knew the truth about everything, Aurora couldn't help but feel as though she had been living a lie her entire life. She had thought her parents to be dead, and that had not been true. She had thought herself a simple peasant, and had turned out to be a princess. Was there anything else that she should know about?

_Because of you  
Because of you_

Aurora's voice trailed off into the night, soft and melancholy. The girl sighed and readjusted her shawl. Her bare feet were frozen in the chilly air, as were her hands, but she cared not. Her eyelids felt heavy, but the thoughts in her mind were swirling like a tornado. Aurora closed her eyes and sat for a few moments more, letting the night breeze softly blow away her fears and worries.

* * *

Disclaimer: The lyrics belong to Kelly Clarkson and Disney owns all character.

**I know this wasn't the happiest story on Earth, but I hope you all enjoyed it anyways. Please review! It would make my day. And also, please no flames, although I'm sure you're all better than that. No one likes a hater, I'm just saying.**


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